


grey area

by vatonages



Series: i know i always come and go (superhero mark universe) [2]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Established Relationship, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-13
Updated: 2019-02-13
Packaged: 2019-10-25 11:39:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17724491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vatonages/pseuds/vatonages
Summary: Mark would like to say life goes back to normal after that, a standard check of the city to make sure it’s safe, checking with Renjun for any suspicious activity, maybe stopping an old lady from getting mugged, and then trying to get through his homework before going to sleep.But it doesn’t. The phone rings at 2 AM, and again, Mark is sitting up with his heart pounding.“Someone’s got Jeno,” Renjun says. Mark groans.“Is it Full Sun again? I swear, I told Jeno not to-”“I don’t think so,” Renjun says, immediately ending that train of thought. “Jeno gave me his number and I added it to my database so I could track his location based on where his phone is, and he’s not where Jeno is.” That makes Mark’s stomach turn, predictably.





	grey area

**Author's Note:**

> hello! so this one takes place immediately after the last one but it won't always be like that! i just happened to write this immediately after and they blended into one another. anyway enter: jaemin! and a better look at jeno's powers ^__^

 

Waking up is predictably hard after such an exciting night with such little sleep, but they dutifully get up to go to their classes. Having a guilty conscience, Donghyuk apologizes a few times over the course of the day while they drink their Full Sun funded iced coffees and Jeno gives Mark an “invigorating” shoulder massage in the only class they have together in an attempt to wake him up. It kind of hurts but Mark could  _ never  _ crush Jeno’s dreams like that, smiling through the pain instead. Jeno looks content and satisfied when Mark gives him a thumbs up afterward.

 

Mark would like to say life goes back to normal after that, a standard check of the city to make sure it’s safe, checking with Renjun for any suspicious activity, maybe stopping an old lady from getting mugged, and then trying to get through his homework before going to sleep.

 

But it doesn’t. The phone rings at 2 AM, and again Mark is sitting up with his heart pounding.

 

“Someone’s got Jeno,” Renjun says. Mark groans.

 

“Is it Full Sun again? I swear, I told Jeno not to-”

 

“I don’t think so,” Renjun says, immediately ending that train of thought. “Jeno gave me his number and I added it to my database so I could track his location based on where his phone is, and he’s not where Jeno is.” That makes Mark’s stomach turn, predictably.

 

“Fuck,” he says. “Where is he? Why won’t people just leave him alone?” He’s never gotten dressed this fast before. Sometimes Mark wishes he could just say _ fuck  _ the costume, and go in his pajamas, but that’s how superheroes get recognized, and their cover blown. It’s not worth it, not that knowing that stops him from considering it every once in a while. 

 

“It’s the danger that comes with dating a superhero, I suppose. We always knew this could happen.” 

 

“I even asked him to spend the night earlier for safety reasons, but he said there was no need... Where is he now?” 

 

“He’s in a public park? It’s not the popular one, it’s the one for the little kids, with the seesaw?”

 

“Got it. You know, you really need to learn the names of these places. One day I’m not gonna understand based on your little descriptions.”

 

“Yeah, well, I’m from China. This is as good as it gets. I don’t have time to memorize the name of every possible destination in Korea.” Mark snorts. It’s a pretty typical Renjun response. Mark isn’t sure what he was expecting.

 

“Go save Jeno. I don’t know who’s got him, but it might not be someone as harmless as Full Sun this time.” Renjun reminds him, bringing him back to the situation at hand. Right. They can have fun banter every once in a while but at the end of the day this is serious business, and honestly? Mark isn’t sure what he would do with himself if Jeno ever got hurt. The guilt would eat him alive.

 

Mark runs to the park so fast he can feel the energy around him distorting. He’s not an energy reader like Jeno, but when this happens he can always feel it. It’s the only time. Jeno shudders when Mark runs him somewhere, his hold on Jeno tight so he doesn’t fall. 

 

“It shouldn’t be like this,” he says, but Mark just smiles apologetically.

 

“I’m sorry. I promise it goes back to normal afterwards. It’s just that I’m not supposed to be able to move this fast.”

 

Jeno must feel his energy when he arrives, hiding in a bush, because he gives it a suspicious glance and then winks at him. Mark blushes from where he’s crouched, trying not to sneeze when some of the foliage tickles his nose. What a way to blow his cover.

 

There’s a guy in a pink suit, like a knockoff Power Ranger, his entire face exposed as he speaks to Jeno. He’s a little  _ too  _ close, if you ask Mark, and he’s not sure how he manages to keep his identity a secret if he doesn’t even cover his face. Then he sees the discarded mask on the ground. Why did he take that off? He wonders if that has something to do with his powers, and it makes him tense up. The guy won’t stop smiling, and Jeno is smiling back but Mark can tell from years of knowing Jeno that he’s unimpressed.

 

Jeno’s all tied up to a pole, and Mark’s not sure how this guy got Jeno to stay still long enough for him to do that, and his hands are tied together so he can’t use them. Then Mark sees the guy teleport behind Jeno, and he realizes that oh, that’s how. Jeno couldn’t move fast enough to escape. Not at first, anyway, though phasing out of them is always an option. Mark gets impatient watching, but he knows Jeno must be waiting, watching, observing like he always does, trying to understand the situation.

 

Jeno levels Mark with a glare, sensing his anxiety, a warning to stay down, and Mark trusts him enough to listen to him. In any case, he can step up if things go south. He’s not going anywhere. 

 

“So you’re Lee Jeno, huh? A child model. A star student. A  _ dancer.” _

 

“And you’re Lover Boy?” The guy smirks.  _ Lover Boy? That’s his villain name? Is this guy serious?  _

 

“I sure am, sweetheart. You seem to know a lot about me,” he says, leaning in close to Jeno. He smiles wide, and it’s infuriatingly charming, tilted a little to the side, lips curling. 

 

“What do you want? What was the reason for taking me?” Jeno asks, not wasting any time. Direct, but not unkind. 

 

“Can’t I just spend a little time with you? Is that so bad?”

 

“Maybe it wouldn’t be if you hadn’t  _ kidnapped _ me. I could be sleeping right now.”

 

“Okay, fine. I happen to be able to tell that you aren’t just any other human, that you have powers. But you’re pretending to be like any other normal person. Why is that?” Lover Boy tilts up Jeno’s chin with his finger. Jeno’s eyes narrow.

 

“What powers do I have?” Lover Boy steps back, displeased, paces to the side.

 

“That I can’t tell. I can just _ feel _ it. Can’t be anything too good, or you wouldn’t be trapped here anymore, huh? Why not have a little fun? Walk on the wild side? Sure, we’re villains, but we’re not that bad. Can’t be if we look like  _ this,”  _ he says, gesturing to his own face, smug. Mark almost scoffs, but then remembers he’s hiding. Surely Jeno can’t be buying any of this. How does the guy even know Jeno has powers anyway? 

 

“I don’t have that much free time,” Jeno says, making eye contact with Lover Boy, phasing his hands out of the ropes so that they’re free, and then his body, while he stares in shock. He cups Lover Boy’s face.

 

“You should stop making so many assumptions. What’s your name, Lover Boy? I’m so  _ curious,”  _ It always makes Mark a little sick to see Jeno use this ability of his, the enchantment one, but it might be one of the most useful ones he has. He knows Jeno hates it too, but sometimes there’s no way around it.

 

“Na Jaemin,” he answers, staring at Jeno’s lips. He won’t be getting a kiss,  _ that’s for sure.  _ Mark would punch him into the sky. 

 

“Interesting,” Jeno remarks. “And your powers?”

 

“Teleportation, super strength, I can shoot fire from my hands, but I never use that one. It’s-”

 

“Too dangerous,” Jeno finishes. “So you have some conscience. Fire spreads rapidly and destroys everything in its path. You’re mindful of that. You don’t want to hurt people, do you, Jaemin? So why be a villain?” Jaemin’s eyebrow twitches.

 

“You’re so pretty, but you ask so many questions...” He trails off, avoiding the question. He can try to hide the truth under that smooth exterior, but nobody can hide from Jeno, not when he can feel their truest self, see the cracks in their armor. Mark wonders what it’s like to be Jeno, if it’s more of a burden or a great help to him. He thinks it’s both, depending on the time. 

  
“You don’t want to answer me?” Jeno asks, pouting. Jaemin panics. He’s in deep, fully enamored. 

 

“No, no! I...I don’t want to hurt anybody. I never do.”

 

“You’ve gotten pulled into the wrong crowd, huh, Jaemin?” Jeno says sympathetically. Jeno explained it to Mark once, that he needs to use people’s names to get through to them, or the enchantment breaks. He says names are more important than people realize, that they have impact, that being called by your name by the right person at the right time is like a kiss on the cheek. Jaemin frowns.

 

“I guess I have,” Jeno tucks his hair behind his ear, a comforting gesture. Mark knows it well. 

 

“You are meant for good,” Jeno whispers. “You can do good. Stop doing this villainous stuff. You can always turn your life around.”

 

“What if I’m not ready yet?” Jaemin whispers. It feels like a question he didn’t mean to say out loud. Jeno laughs. Mark gets the distinct feeling that Jaemin is scared.

 

“Then my boyfriend will be around to stop you every time. Will you close your eyes for a second, Jaemin?” Jeno asks sweetly, and Jaemin nods, still under the spell, shutting his eyes tight. Jeno runs away, meets Mark at the bush, and Mark lifts him and runs away with him, already back in his room before Jaemin’s eyes even open again.

 

“I hated that Jaemin guy,” Mark says. “He was so  _ smug.”  _ Jeno snorts.

 

“And it didn’t have anything to do with the fact that he was flirting with me?”

 

_ “No,”  _ Mark replies, but his tone makes it obvious that that’s exactly the case. Jeno laughs and nuzzles into his neck to soothe him. “I mean, it’s incredible, but sometimes I hate when you use that power. Works a little  _ too  _ well.” 

 

“Don’t be mad. I just had to do what I had to do to get out of there. I don’t have offensive type powers.”

 

“I thought you were working on harnessing the energy to like, throw it at people and stuff?” Jeno looks up at him.

 

“I’m working on it, yeah, but...It’s not as easy as it sounds.” That surprises Mark, because he’s not used to hearing Jeno  _ struggling  _ with anything, seeming to have an almost infuriating ability to be good at anything he tries. It’s a little refreshing even as he’s sympathetic. 

 

“Besides,” Jeno adds. “If you had popped out he would have known something was up. He was definitely questioning a few things. I talked to him so much because I felt a deep sense of uncertainty, an internal conflict. He doesn’t know who he is, what he wants. That’s why he tried to make me join him. What he’s really doing is trying to see if he’s on the right side. He wanted the validation. When I didn’t give it to him he was distressed, but I had to leave him like that. Sometimes that conflict is necessary.” Jeno laughs. “Maybe he’ll be your new sidekick, if we give him some time.”

 

“I doubt it,” Mark grumbles, turning to face Jeno and kiss him. “If anyone is sidekick material, it’s Donghyuk. Jaemin would just be like, too overpowering as a sidekick..”

 

“So you’ve thought about working with Donghyuk before?” Jeno says, smug. Mark weakly shoves him.

 

“Don’t do that. I do think you got through to him though. I hope he stops, if only because it’ll make my life easier. But he isn’t a big problem anyway! There is no Lover Boy listed on the villains list. He must do really minor things.”

 

“He must,” Jeno agrees. “He’s actually really sweet, has a good heart, but he’s misguided.”

 

“He sure was! He wanted to kiss  _ my  _ boyfriend.” 

 

“He didn’t know I was a taken man. Can you hold that against him?”

 

“I can hold my  _ fist  _ against him-” 

 

“Hyung,” Jeno scolds gently. Mark gathers him up in his arms and flips them over so Jeno’s body is on top of him, face smiling down at him once he’s gotten over the shock of being moved so abruptly.

 

“We really need to stop meeting like this,” Jeno laughs.

 

“With me bringing you back to my room at 4:30 in the morning to sleep because you got kidnapped? I agree.” Jeno punches his shoulder lightly, softly saying “Pow” to punctuate it, like a comic book character. Mark finds it adorable, likes the weight of Jeno, the familiar warmth.

 

“You’re staying the night tomorrow.” It’s more of an order than a suggestion, and Jeno opens his mouth to protest, but Mark interrupts him, goes “Buh-buh-buh!” until he stops talking.

 

“You’ve gotten kidnapped two days in a row. That’s like, extremely ridiculous, and I’m  _ tired.  _ And I’m  _ worried, Jeno. _ ” Jeno’s expression softens, feeling how Mark is on edge. It takes a toll on the body and spirit to anticipate the worst, to wake up to a phone call like that. Jeno strokes his hair. 

 

“It will make you feel better if I stay?” Jeno asks, though he already knows the answer. His voice is soft, a little congested sounding. It’s a voice that tries very hard not to overstay its welcome or impose. It does a good job of not doing either. Listening to him talk, feeling him there, it sets Mark at ease. Jeno isn’t tied up at some park or in an abandoned building, he’s right with Mark. Right where he should be. 

 

Jeno hums to catch Mark’s attention. He was too busy thinking, forgot to answer. 

 

“It will,” he says, tightening his arms around Jeno’s waist just a bit. Jeno smiles.

 

“Then okay,” he agrees. He leans down to kiss Mark and Mark kisses back eagerly. He’s tired, but not too tired for this. Jeno breaks away from the kiss, laughing.

 

“What is it?” Mark asks, smiling though he doesn’t know the reason for it, just because of how sweet Jeno’s laugh sounded. Jeno looks around, as if at an invisible audience, incredulous.

 

“The energy,” he says. “You’re way too happy about this, hyung,” he says, half embarrassed. Mark would be embarrassed too, but he can’t find it in himself.

 

“You know how happy I am and pulled away anyways? Isn’t that too mean?” Mark says, drumming his fingers on Jeno’s arm.

 

“Okay, okay,” Jeno says, laughing. “You’re right. It was too much.” He kisses Mark again, though it takes a second for him to relax the muscles, stop smiling into it. Mark slides a hand up and down his back, a comforting gesture that soothes them both. 

 

Their movements start getting uncoordinated with exhaustion, the late hour finally getting to them. They knock noses gently.

 

“You just want me all to yourself tomorrow, don’t you?” Jeno whispers. “You just want to do this all night.” 

 

“Am I supposed to say no?” Mark asks. Jeno places a kiss on his cheek.

 

“No,” he says kindly. “You were supposed to say yes.”

 

“Then yeah. I absolutely do.” Jeno smiles, but his eyes are shut. He’s falling asleep.

 

“We’ll see,” he says. but it feels like the chances are good. “Depends on how much homework I have,” Mark laughs. Even as Jeno is half conscious, he remembers his schoolwork is a priority. 

 

They fall asleep like that, Mark holding Jeno on top of him. It’d probably hurt otherwise, but Mark has super strength for a reason, and he finds that this is a pretty good use for it.

**Author's Note:**

> so how did jaemin know jeno had powers? :O guess we'll have to see and find out...


End file.
